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The Requirements Document Problem for Maintenance

publish date: 2026/06/04 04:30:7.102636 UTC

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Despite agile advocates' arguments about code readability, what document is identified as the key document for system maintenance — and why is its absence a problem for agile-developed systems?

The design document — because it contains all architectural decisions made during development

The project plan — because it tells engineers who developed which part of the system

The test plan — because it documents what tests were run and what passed

The system requirements document — because without it, it is difficult to assess the impact of proposed system changes, and many agile methods do not create a coherent requirements document

Correct Answer

The system requirements document — because without it, it is difficult to assess the impact of proposed system changes, and many agile methods do not create a coherent requirements document

Explanation

The system requirements document is identified as the key document for maintenance — it tells the software engineer what the system is supposed to do. Without such knowledge, it is difficult to assess the impact of proposed system changes. Many agile methods collect requirements informally and incrementally and do not create a coherent requirements document, making subsequent maintenance more difficult.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 9th edition

Quizzes you can take where this question appears

Agile Methods — Problems & Limitations